The district championship was there for the taking and Tonganoxie did exactly that, beating Basehor-Linwood 29-14 and staking claim to the district for the second straight year.

The field conditions which were sloppy at best thanks to recent rainfall did little to slow the offenses, particularly the run-heavy Chieftains.

Big plays kept the Bobcats within striking distance early, but the Chieftains were able to take control in the trenches as the game wore on.

“Our offensive line has done a great job all year and we rotate backs in, that versatility is a great asset to have,” Tonganoxie head coach Al Troyer said. “Just being able to pound it in the mud and run clock was key. Basehor did a good job coming out and hitting us with the big play early, but our defense responded well in the second half and shut them down.”

With their backs against the wall on the first drive of the game, the Bobcats didn't panic.

On 3rd-and-16 from their own 26, Tim Sanders connected with Dalton Inlow on a 76-yard touchdown bomb. On the two-point try, Sanders hit Jahron McPherson and it was 8-0 just over one minute into the game.

Tonganoxie matched the Bobcats' drive on their first possession, which was capped by a 17-yard Cole Holloway rushing score. A two-point PAT made it 8-8.

The Chieftains added to the lead on their next possession. Again it was Holloway punctuating the drive as he danced into the end zone from 5-yards out. The extra point had Tonganoxie up 15-8 early in the second quarter (11:25).

Another big pass play had Basehor-Linwood (3-6) back within one. This strike went 37 yards for the TD down the far sideline and it was 15-14 with 10:31 left in the half.

A little over four minutes later Tonganoxie extended the lead to eight. On the scoring drive the Chieftains got their first touchdown through the air. It was Tyler Ford hitting Jared Sommers, who bullied his way in from 16 yards out and gave Tonganoxie the 22-14 lead, which they took into the break.

To start the second half, the Bobcats again came up with the first big play, an interception by Inlow.

But on the next drive, Basehor-Linwood gambled on 4th-and-1 from their own 24 and were turned away.

The Cheiftains quickly turned the momentum shift into points as Holloway scored his third rushing TD and the Tonganoxie lead was up to 15 (29-14) late in the third quarter.

With just under nine minutes to play the Bobcats had a chance to make it a once score game again. But as was the case the entire second half, and most of the night, it was the Chieftains defense that had the final say. Tonganoxie got the stop they needed on fourth down en route to completing the second-half shutout as they moved to 8-1 on the year.

“The defense really stiffened up inside and we weren't going to give them anything deep after the first two,” Troyer said. “They were real resilient and did a good job. This is something (district championship) the team wanted and we are where we want to be right now.”